A former Marine pleaded guilty Thursday to firing shots at the Pentagon and other military facilities in Northern Virginia.
Yonathan Melaku admitted in federal court in Alexandria that he attacked the Pentagon, the National Museum of the Marine Corps, a Marine Corps recruiting station in Chantilly and a Woodbridge Coast Guard recruiting center between October and November 2010. No one was injured in the shootings.
In entering the plea, Melaku agreed to a prison sentence of 25 years.
Melaku, of Alexandria, was detained when he was found in Arlington National Cemetery in the middle of the night. His car was located near the Pentagon, and the FBI said authorities found suspicious materials in the vehicle.
Melaku pleaded guilty to one count of injury to property of the United States by shooting with a firearm and causing damage in excess of $1,000; one count of using, carrying and discharging a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence; and one count of attempted injury to veterans’ memorials on property of the United States.
